Star formation and galaxy evolution of the Local Universe based on HIPASS

© 2007 Dr. Oiwei Ivy WongThis thesis investigates the star formation and galaxy evolution of the nearby Local Volume based on Neutral Hydrogen (HI) studies. A large portion of this thesis consists of work with the Northern extension of the HI Parkes All Sky Survey (HIPASS). HIPASS is an HI survey of the entire Southern sky up to a declination of +25.5 degrees (including the Northern extension) using the Parkes 64-metre radio telescope. I have also produced a catalogue of the optical counterparts corresponding to the galaxies found in Northern HIPASS. From this optical catalogue, we also conclude that we did not find any isolated dark galaxies. The other half of my thesis consists of work with the SINGG and SUNGG projects. SINGG is the Survey for Ionization in Neutral Gas Galaxies and SUNGG is the Survey of Ultraviolet emission in Neutral Gas Galaxies. Both SINGG and SUNGG are selected from HIPASS and are star formation studies in the H-alpha and ultraviolet (UV), respectively. My work in the SINGG-SUNGG collaboration is mostly based on SUNGG. Using the results of SUNGG, I measured the local luminosity density and the cosmic star formation rate density (SFRD) of the Local Universe. Using far-infrared (FIR) observations from IRAS, the FIR luminosity density was also calculated. Combining the FUV luminosity density and the FIR luminosity density, the bolometric SFRD of the Local Universe was estimated. This thesis also includes the discovery of one of the nearest drop-through ring galaxies, NGC 922, which is a factor of three closer than the infamous Cartwheel galaxy